Moving to a City? Consider These Differences before You Go

September 25th, 2017

Whether you’re moving for a job or just because you’re looking for a change, starting a new life in the city is always exciting. However, if you’ve lived in rural or suburban towns your whole life, the hustle and bustle of a city can certainly cause a bit of culture shock. Additionally, if you’ve lived in a house all your life, the limited space of an apartment might feel a little claustrophobic. Here are a few new things you’ll face, and how to best deal with them.

Commuting

Getting to and from work or school is a little different than you might be used to. If you won’t have your own car to drive, you’ll need to use public transportation. The good news is that you can still listen to your favorite music if you have a pair of headphones. The bad news is that you’ll need to stick to the bus or train schedule if you don’t want to be late!

You can expect to see all sorts of people on public transit. That might sound great if you like to people-watch, but it’s best not to let anyone catch you staring. You never know if someone’s having a rough day and won’t appreciate the extra attention, so it’s best to keep to yourself even if you only have friendly intentions.

Laundry

Keeping your clothes and linens fresh is a little different when you live in the city. If you’re crammed in a small apartment, you probably won’t have room for your own washer and dryer, so you’ll have to take trips to the laundromat. You may also find it hard to separate your dirty clothes from your living space, which could leave your apartment smelling musty. Fortunately, there are some solutions.

Before moving, pare down your wardrobe. You’ll be less likely to accumulate large piles of dirty laundry, and you’ll be able to keep things clean and ready for wearing. Next, buy a laundry hamper. Unlike the mesh bags you used in college, laundry hampers have lids to keep musty odors contained.

Make sure the hamper is easy to carry. You’ll probably be lugging it a couple of blocks to the local laundromat. Drop by your bank and get $30-$40 dollars in quarters to stash away, as you don’t want to rely on a change machine that could be broken after hefting your laundry around. Don’t forget to bring a book to read or tablet to look at while your clothes are in the machine!

Projects

Do you like to work on big creative projects? Maybe you’re a painter or a carpenter. At your house, you probably have a whole room dedicated to your hobby. However, once you’re in an apartment, there won’t be room for a full studio or workshop. Does that mean you need to give up your passion? Of course not!

First of all, ask yourself if there’s any way you can pare down the materials necessary for your hobby. For example, a painter may opt for a portable folding easel and smaller canvases instead of H-Frame easels and large canvases. A carpenter might take up the fine art of inlaid wood to satisfy their itch instead of building furniture.

If you absolutely must work at full-scale, as long as you don’t mind being sociable, you can probably find a solution. Most cities have community spaces for whatever hobby you’re looking for. For example, a painter won’t have too much trouble finding a shared studio, and a carpenter can probably locate a “makerspace” with the kind of equipment they need. The catch is that you’ll probably have to pay in order to take part­ — but that’s life in the big city!

This Credit Union is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration. Your Savings are federally insured to at least $250,000 and backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government